South Africa 2019

The next day we went to the airport via Uber and flew two hours to Johannesburg and rented a car.  We took full insurance :)   They drive on the right so it is a bit challenging.  Jim drove.  We drove to Phalaborwa, stopping at  https://millys.co.za   Milly's.   We also stopped at another rest stop that was similar to a turnpike service plaza.  Milly's was really nice though. They served coffee in real cups, not plastic or disposable.  The food was homemade and the atmosphere not like a highway service plaza!  The trip was about 6 hours and we ended our drive at Kaia Tani, a beautiful hotel-guest house.  We ate all our meals there and booked our safaris from them. The rate was about $100 per night.  The evening meals were extra but inexpensive and very nice.  The food was not gourmet exactly but good.  Meat and potatoes and good wine.  The menu was whatever the chef wanted. 

 The next day we went to Robbin Island to see where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 17 years. We booked this trip two weeks in advance, but you may need to book further out, depending on when you go.  It does sell out so get tickets in advance.  It is about $25 per person and takes about 4 hours.  The area where the ferry leaves is called the V and A waterfront.  This area has shops and restaurants, an art museum and aquarium.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch and went shopping before taking a gondola up to the top.  We walked all around the top of the mountain and enjoyed spectacular views.  The dassies, rodents, were scurrying around as well.  We walked down the mountain where we dodged baboons. That evening we went to the StarDust Theatrical dining and loved the performers/waiters.  The food was outstanding and as usual, very good prices. I think our bill for two with wine and tip was about $80.

Cape Town is a beautiful city and we had a wonderful stay there.  Our hotel was great and very affordable.  It was a resort hotel, the Lagoon Beach Hotel on the beach with a gorgeous view. The restaurant and the deck/bar were overlooking the beach and we enjoyed our first evening there eating on the deck, breathing the fresh beach air.  It was a bit brisk, but because it was February in the Southern hemisphere, it was the end of their summer and still great.  The next day I had booked a day long tour through TripAdvisor -Kabura Travel.  The tour guides were really great.  The trip included a trip to a vineyard, and to Boulders Beach to see the penguins!  We also went to the Cape of Good Hope and all around the peninsula.  It was a spectacular trip.  It was only $89 for both of us.  The tours we took were not private, but we enjoyed everyone we traveled with. That evening after a quick rest at the hotel, using Uber, we went to Gold restau...

I wanted to give anyone who is interested in a trip to South Africa our itinerary as well as a list of costs. This was largely planned by me.  I like to do to it and my husband Jim is happy to have me plan it.  He is a great traveller and we are always excited to go to our next destination. This Feb 15-25 trip was on Kenyan Airlines, and from what I was told, the route from NYC to Nairobi was recently approved.  The connection to Johannesburg was from Nairobi.  The total airfare for both of us was $1899 and included an exit row upgrade for each of us on the long leg of the trip.  The flying time to Nairobi was 14 hours and there was a layover of a couple hours and then an additional 4 hour flight from Nairobi to Johannesburg.   I parked at JFK for 11 days for $122 using Cheap Airport Parking.org and parked at Orom Airport Parking We stayed at Morrells Farmhouse in Randburg and took and Uber to get there.  It was an idyllic place to stay and th...